Family history research for ancestors living in big cities in the United States involves the same research processes as in other places but adds opportunities and challenges.

Sources To Use[edit | edit source]

Use the following sources while researching families:

City Directories
Church Records
State Census Records
Newspapers
Immigration Records
Naturalization Records
City Maps

Characteristics of Big Cities[edit | edit source]

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U.S. Cities Through Time[edit | edit source]

As an example of big cities in U.S. history, here are the ten largest for the years 1790, 1840, and 1900.

The Largest U.S. Cities in 1790[edit | edit source]

New York City (NY) had 33,131 residents
Philadelphia (PA) had 28,522
Boston (MA) had 18,320
Charleston (SC) had 16,359
Baltimore (MD) had 13,503
Northern Liberties (PA) had 9,913
Salem (MA) had 7,921
Newport (RI) had 6,716

The Largest U.S. Cities in 1840[edit | edit source]

New York City (NY) had 312,710 residents
Baltimore (MD) had 102,313
New Orleans (LA) had 102,193
Philadelphia (PA) had 93,665
Boston (MA) had 93,383
Cincinnati (OH) had 46,338
Brooklyn (NY) had 36,233
Northern Liberties (PA) had 34,474

The Largest U.S. Cities in 1900[edit | edit source]

New York City (NY) with 3,437,202
Chicago (IL) with 1,698,575
Philadelphia (PA) with 1,293,697
St. Louis (MO) with 575,238
Boston (MA) with 560,892
Baltimore (MD) with 508,957
Cleveland (OH) with 381,768
Buffalo (NY) with 352,387

U.S. Urban Research

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